What do you and your team need to know about securing soft targets and crowded places?

Missouri House Senate could amend the state's House Bill 324 to include a ban on using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) near stadiums, such as the venues for the St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Kansas City Chiefs, and the University of Missouri's football stadium.

Federal, state and local agencies spent months preparing for the 2019 Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta, game planning for the multitude of incidents that could threaten the safety and security of fans attending the game, as well as individuals and businesses that congregated in areas around the stadium.

Event security has evolved well beyond the standard uniformed officers, access control, and incident response. Today’s event security professionals are strategists who use intelligence driven risk-based models to mitigate threats by identifying and addressing gaps and vulnerabilities.

A new $4.73 million U.S. Department of Defense grant will enable the University of Southern Mississippi and the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) to identify gaps in security for sports and entertainment events, review and test innovations provided by the DoD, and potentially commercialize them for use at venues around the U.S.

Large venues pose unique challenges to security and emergency preparedness. The combination of dense crowds, media visibility and high economic value at such events creates great risk to people, property and reputation. But how do you ensure strong security while also ensuring your patrons and fans still have fun?

Aloha Stadium previously did not restrict the number or size of bags visitors brought, and large strollers were allowed. Moving forward, however, stadium-goers may each bring one bag into the stadium not exceeding 12” by 6” by 12”.

“Given today’s climate regarding security, we have to be able to optimize our security presence on campus as much as possible,” says Frank Solano, Security Systems Manager for McCormick Place. “That means using technology and other tools to keep our visitors safe."